Shrine of Flaming Capitalism

So, I was right: Conservatism is not dead!

Dear Readers: Today, I turn “The Shrine” over to a guest blogger, who has been a regular on at the Southern California Tax Revolt Coalition Tea Party events. This post is from “The World Is Not Enough”:

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I have had interesting conversations with highly pessimistic conservatives for a few years now. During the dark days of Bush’s second term these conversations were grim. “Conservatism is dead, the liberals are going to ride through the nation like the four horsemen of the apocalypse and set fire to the nation releasing plague and famine whilst consuming the first born males.” They shouted. I was just a little more optimistic than that. I felt conservatism was not dead. And the true character of a nation is reflected in how its political leaders legislate. Not what the mainstream media is telling them.

I told them the nation was becoming ever the more conservative, right before their eyes. They just had to look for it.

Hat-Tip: Ex-pat Abroad

Gay marriage was a political loser that the media tried to spin into a winner. I heard over and over again about how gay marriage was polling. The time for gay marriage had come they declared a popular KFI 640 radio host. But they were not looking at the results of the legislation nor were they examining the roots of the current debate. Massachusetts put gay marriage front and center with their decision in 2004 just before the election. The backlash of support for traditional marriage went towards political support for Republicans. The issue helped get George Bush reelected. Gay marriage had never won at the ballot box and has been rejected by over half the states in the union while all states that had gay marriage had it via judicial fiat, not the consent of the people. So while the pessimist saw polls the real politik was going in the other direction. “As California goes so goes the nation!” That’s one quote you won’t be hearing in the mainstream media very soon…

Expanding gun rights during Bush’s term also made me hopeful. The tragic shootings at Virginia Tech in years past would have been just the catalyst the left needed to move for stricter gun laws, but a strange thing happened on the way to Brady bill part two. People didn’t want less protection, they wanted more, and didn’t trust those who were supposed to provide the protection. Shortly before the shootings Virginia Tech was made a “gun-free zone.” The national debate following the shootings was for prevention via protection not protection by limiting the rights of lawful guns owners. Virginia Tech was the last straw. People simply do not trust a policy to protect them. Too many times have the gun free zones been violated by those intent on killing. This was another sign that the nation, was inching its way towards freedom.

When the Supreme Court threw aside the constitution and ruled against Kelo the nation set about strengthening their property rights laws. No fewer than 11 states put anti-Kelo legislation on the ballot in 2006. Louisiana even passed a constitutional amendment strengthening property rights.

In 2007 the Supreme Court upheld the ban on partial birth abortion in a 5-4 decision…

There was plenty of reasons to believe that the country was becoming more conservative. When the pendulum swings one way it must swing back. The further the pendulum swings in one direction the further it must swing in the other. What was happening during Bush’s second term was the beginning of that process.

Look at where we are today. The nation is rebelling against government expansion at every turn. The harder Obama pushes for larger government, no matter his argument, people fight against it. The left has lost every major battle since immigration. The media was able to get Obama elected, and that is exactly what people think , but they aren’t able to get his agenda through Congress. Cap-and-Trade, Single-payer (or its varied Trojan horses), closing Gitmo, Card Check, they all have been stymied if not killed all together. The nation does not want his agenda.

The conservative Democrats and independents have been reminded of what Democrat leadership looks like and they don’t like it. The ride to 2010 should be fun!